The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-04-08
TO JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL.

"Arthur Richmond" Pays His Respects in
a Manner Not Altogether Agreeable.
North American Review.
But one President had been chosen since his
grave was made who had been struck down by
slaverys diving blow; one President had been
chosen, and he the general whose fame was born
of the deadly war between slavery and national
ity. The party had again selected for its stand
ard bearer man of unbemished character. a
man who had risked life and limb on his coun-
try's side, against slavery. You were made
elector by your constituency for the purpose of
casting their vote for the Republican candidate.
You accepted the Office without protes. against
the action, manifest dissent from the opinion
of your constituency; yet. before the Electoral
College had assembled, the air was sharp with
suspicion that you meant to prove false to those
who had trusted in you, by voting for their
opponents On one vote hung the fate of the
election; that casting vote you held One
hundred and eighty-fou men. besides you, held
a casting vote, but your fidelity alone was
suspected. One hundred and eighty four men,
chosen from the profane ranks of politicians.
bore themselves above temptation. Over your
head alone chosen from the walls of lofty Har-
ward, hung the dark cloud of doubt. One word,
one decisive assurance from you, would have
turned all these suspicious into apology; but
that " ord was not spoken, that assurance was
not given. On the contrary, the newspaper
organs of your known friends and intirnates de-
Tended such action.
You voted for the Republican candidate, as it
vote but it was not your own ucorruptibility
which bore off the palm 1t was one great man.
politician and an oficeholder. of higher pur
pose and stronger principle than you. who in
the inner political circles which your faction
affects to despise. had the credit Of restraining
your feet aud holding you to the plain path Of
duty. Can your wagering resolution ever per
NIT you to be quite free from the stain of having
waited like your own Birdofredum Sawin to see.
''Wich way the tide that sets to Office is aturninl
d. H.
have perpetrated a grosser breach of courtesy
than was whispered, might almost say snick-
cred, against you in certain English circle
They had been told that Mr.. Evarts. soon after
you in what seemed ssm-relapse into literary
but innocuous desuetude. Mr.. Evarts elevated
you at once into notice by appointing you to the
Spanish mission. which had before been bestowed
in recognition of literary merit-the mission to
which Secretary John Quincy Adams sent Alex
ander Everett in 1924. to which Secretary Web
ster sent Washington Irving in 1912. the mission
urged upon the historian Prescott by Secretary
CLAYTON in 1849 The honor of the position ten
dered you by Mr.. Evarts was greatly enhanced
by the literary predecessors who had dignifed
and characterized it.
At the end of a year Mr. Evarts transferred
you to the Court OF St James, thus bestowing
on you the same compliment received by Rich
ard Rush, Edward Everett and George Bancroft.
If it were possible for distinguished tribute to
establish Of gratitude claim to
fidelity, you surely owed fidelity and gratitude
to Mr.. Evarts.
In turn you had a slight opportunity to show
your appreciation of Mr.. Evarts's intelligent
friendness. At the close of his service as
Secretary of State he visited London with his
| family. 1t was-I hardly say noised-I
| should rather say it was silenced among Amer
| leans in London, that you failed to pay him,
| not only the respect Of an officer to his chief
| but the courtesy Of one citizen of the world te
another. Eminent Englishmen sought him
| out, against-it was whispered with dis
| may-your rather provincial efforts to keer
him in the background. It was re
! ported in English diplomatic circles with
something between a grin and groan, that an
| invitation left by Lord Salisbury at the Ameri
| legation for Secretary Evarts land his wife
and his daughter to spend some days at Hatfield
was suffered to lapse SC grossly to be con-
| veyed for Mr.. Evarts only-thus deriving his
| family of the pleasure of visit to the historic
house of the Cecls. of seeing the State papers OF
| Queen Elzabeth's Lord Burleigh, and of wit
Messing the highest form of English country
| life; and also depriving our English friends o
the pleasure of knowing an American family
whose privacy dare not invade, but the gentl,
| grace and charm of whose inner life are as IRE
| sistible as the wit and wisdom and eloouence b.
| which it is known to the world.
| In all this have not word of blame TO
| the President of your choice, though not of you
| choosing; he did not make himself President
! he but accepted what no man ever refused. A
| President, he has fulfilled every reasonable an
ticipation; he has executed the duties of hi
high office precisely as was to be expected Of al
| execptioner.